A rare hantavirus outbreak on the MV Hondius cruise ship has led to multiple deaths and a global health alert. The virus, typically spread by rodents, may have transmitted between passengers, prompting contact tracing and evacuations. The ship, stranded in Cape Verde, faces an uncertain future as authorities work to contain the spread.
Dozens of people are being traced after they boarded a flight with a cruise ship passenger who later died of a rare rat-borne virus. The MV Hondius has been at the center of an international health scare since Saturday following the outbreak of a hantavirus infection.
Although the disease is typically spread by rodents through urine, droppings, and saliva, the World Health Organization (WHO) has now said it believes the virus may have passed from person to person aboard the luxury cruise. The WHO has confirmed seven suspected cases of the virus on the vessel, which had been traveling from Ushuaia in Argentina to Cape Verde in Africa. A 70-year-old passenger was the first to die, followed by his 69-year-old wife, both Dutch nationals.
Another passenger of German nationality also died on board the ship. A 69-year-old British man was taken to Johannesburg, South Africa, where he is being treated in intensive care. The WHO is attempting to locate people on a flight between the island of St Helena and Johannesburg taken by the Dutch woman, who later died of the virus.
At least five people with full protective gear, white overalls, boots, and face masks were seen disembarking from the ship into a small vessel. Footage showed the ship's decks mostly deserted, with only a few people wearing medical masks moving about. A night view of the MV Hondius cruise ship anchored at a port in Praia, Cape Verde.
She had left the ship in Saint Helena with gastrointestinal symptoms on April 24 and was pronounced dead upon arrival at the emergency department of a Johannesburg hospital. The WHO said contact tracing for passengers has been initiated. Airlink operates one flight a week from the island, which takes around four hours. The South African authorities had asked the airline to notify the passengers that they must contact the health department, a representative said.
The WHO said it suspected hantavirus may have spread between people aboard the ship. Three suspected hantavirus cases still on the stricken ship off Cape Verde will be evacuated in the coming hours in two air ambulances via the west African island nation. One of the air ambulances is already in the Atlantic archipelago located off West Africa, and the second aircraft is expected to arrive shortly, Cape Verde's health ministry said.
Once the two symptomatic hantavirus sufferers and a close contact with no symptoms have been successfully evacuated, the MV Hondius can continue its route, either to Spain's Canary Islands or the Netherlands, the UN health agency's Cape Verde representative, Ann Lindstrand, said. Spain has confirmed it will receive the cruise ship stricken by the deadly virus in three to four days in the Canary Islands.
The exact port of arrival has not yet been determined, it said, adding: Once there, the crew and passengers will be duly examined, cared for, and transferred to their respective countries. According to Ms. Lindstrand, an ambulance will take the suspected infected trio from the port in the Cape Verdean capital, Praia, to the nearby airport, from which they will be evacuated by plane.
A British man was taken to intensive care after the virus spread on board the MV Hondius, traveling from Ushuaia in Argentina to Cape Verde in Africa. A letter distributed to customers from cruise company Oceanwide Expeditions, seen by the Daily Mail, informed them it was awaiting approval for passengers to leave the ship.
While the situation is changing by the hour, Lindstrand said once that complicated expedition had been carried out, what I know now is that the boat will be able to leave sometime in the middle of the night. Although the initial plan was for the boat to leave from here to the Canary Islands to the Tenerife port, the Dutch-operated cruise ship could end up back in the Netherlands instead, she added.
There has been discussions during the day today that the boat might be sent all the way to the Netherlands. It comes as new footage from inside the MV Hondius showed nearly 150 people had been mostly confined to their cabins. The luxury ship has been stranded at the Port of Praia after health authorities in Cape Verde said they would not authorize its docking with the aim of protecting national public health.
Footage showed the ship's decks mostly deserted, with only a few people wearing medical masks moving around. Common spaces were empty as passengers isolated in their cabins. At least five people with full protective gear, white overalls, boots, and face masks were seen disembarking from the ship into a small vessel. The World Health Organization said on Monday passengers were asked to stay in their cabins and limit their risk while disinfection and other measures are being taken
Hantavirus Outbreak MV Hondius Cruise Ship International Health Scare Cape Verde Evacuation Person-To-Person Transmission
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